Thursday, January 7, 2010

First post in almost a year!! If you're anti gun... well read on.

I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've posted here. Honestly I have to blame two life factors...
  1. I've gotten kind of lazy and with all the stuff we're doing... I'm even more lazy with the non essentials.
  2. Ella turned one year old last week. Everyone says that the third child changes everything, and they are right. It's taken me a year to get back in control. It only took Holly a week to get back in control so I guess I have no excuses.

For those of you who don't know I bought a couple of guns this year and I love them! I also got my conceal and carry permit. Now most of you who know me are probably scratching your heads a little but if you think deep and hard for a moment you'll realize that this really does fit my personality. I won't go into details about why I am actively participating in my constitutional right to own and bare arms but I "FEEL" inspired to do it. Enough said.

So tonight Holly and I decided to take the family out for a little walk. We used to walk a lot, before Ella came, and have just lately been getting back into it and I have an extra 20 lbs to prove that walking makes a difference in life. We took Tula with us. Tula is our 18 month old boxer. We also have Mahana (Boxer/Pit bull mix) but two dogs and 3 kids are just too much so we left Mahana home. I generally push the BOB stroller (if you aren't in the know google B.O.B. strollers, they are AWESOME!!!) with Natalie and Alana in it. Holly wears Ella in a backpack.

Tonight we went on a longer than usual walk and since it's been getting dark earlier it's always dark when we walk. I always have my 200 candle light Fenix flashlight (properly called a torch), so the darkness isn't usually an issue. Besides we live in a pretty good neighborhood especially for West Phoenix!

We were walking past a church friends house and across the street there was a home with a couple of big guys standing outside. They looked pretty suspicious but we were across the street and walking past them so I didn't really think anything of it. Holly was telling be about something that had happened during the day and we just kept on walking. After about 20 yards I checked to see what the guys behind us were doing. The bigger of the two had started walking down his side of the road following us and the other one had ducked into the house and turned off the garage light. My spidy senses stated to tingle big time. We kept walking and I checked the guy and he was catching up to us. I was pushing the stroller so I stopped, turned the cart around and asked Holly to push. We started walking back the way we had came, back toward our house and closer to a main road. I put Tula's leash in my left hand on my pinkie finger so I could drop it fast and held the Fenix light in that same hand with it switched off. I discretely reached back with my right hand to adjust my cell phone out of the way and clicked the safety off on my 9mm Slim Taurus, all the while starring down our guy across the street. As we passed Holly started to walk more quickly, (I hadn't said anything to her about the guy following us) which was fine with me, I wanted space between everyone else and I if something went down. After 20 yards I again checked on my guy, he had turned around and was headed back toward the house. As we passed the house the 2nd guy came out of the half opened dark garage so I stared him down too. After another 20 yards I checked again and both guys had stayed at their house. I noted later that there was a lady standing our side of a different house half a block up the road on a cell phone. I think that she was the lookout for the guys up the street. I suspect that they were probably selling drugs.

When we got back out to the main road I safetied the gun, put the light away and took over stroller duty. I'm glad that things wend down the way that they did. At no time was I afraid at all! I knew what to do. I had to tools needed to protect my family. Most importantly I knew that I was more prepared and better trained than any common drug dealer to handle these guys. They wouldn't expect a guy with 3 kids and his wife to be packing and that surprise was literally my ace up my sleeve.

So nothing happened and I don't know what kind of intentions these goofballs had but I was aware of my surroundings and as soon as I felt the hair on my neck rise up a little I bugged out and got my family to safety.

I've been following a blog about urban survivalist at http://ferfal.blogspot.com called Surviving Argentina. Ferfal is the author and he's awesome. He hasn't really made me scared just aware and willing to prepare to protect my family if our economy goes south.

So there you have it. My personal, "I'm glad I had a gun story" and I didn't even need to touch the gun. On closing if you think about it the Police aren't there to protect you from a crime, they're only there to respond and clean up the mess after the crime has happened. I think that we all need to be adults about this stuff and take the steps needed to protect ourselves from those who would do us harm. That doesn't mean buying and carrying a gun for everyone but we can all do something more to protect ourselves and our fellow good guys from all the bad guys who would take advantage of our reliance on the police who can't do it all.

Take care and Good Night!

8 comments:

bethany said...

You're right, you just never know-but I don't think we'll be buying a gun anytime soon. I don't know that Zak could ever bring himself to use it anyway---and we live in Lehi. Ugh.
I fully support your decision to act on your amendment given rights. I use my free speech right a lot. :)

North Family Arizona said...

Thanks Beth,

Again I don't think that my way is the right way for everyone!

But Lehi is just as succeptible to bad guys as any other city. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2442115

Take care.

Mindy said...

Glad you are all safe. Way to trust your instincts and be ready!

Olivia Heilmann said...

Phil,
That is just too great! I am glad that you still protect the women in your life. You sure were a great protection for me back in the day.
I too am grateful for my gun.
Tim has felt similarly to you and has many knifes around, etc. He is also attempting to study Ninjitsu in order to better protect us.
I am grateful for men like you and Tim who take action and don't just sit around and wait for bad things to happen.
Inspiring!
Liv

KieraAnne said...

Whoa. I'm glad nothing happened. We live in Texas so of course we have several guns in our house, but neither of us has a permit to carry concealed. Most of our guns are the big kinds that sound scary if you're in the other room trying to rob us and we ratchet a round or two....

KieraAnne said...

Oh yeah I was also going to suggest you read Gavin de Becker's "Gift of Fear" if you haven't already. It sounds very similar to what you were talking about being aware of your surroundings. Patricks dad (a Colonel in the army) gave each of his kids a copy of that. It's pretty good. :)

Stofam said...

Good point Phil! I love that you are trained and ready to take care of your family and that you were aware of your situation!! Now, where are the updated pics of your cute little family?? I miss you guys and you need more pics on the blog! Tell Holly I said hi!!

eternity4us said...

Brother North I'm glad you shared that experience on your blog. Garry and I have also become great supporters of our 2nd Amendment and have been target shooting every Saturday at Buckeye. If you would like to go with us give us a call. It is so important you are prepared for the unknown. I was so afraid but now that I have my own 38 Special and a 22 Ruger rifle I'm getting better at it with practice. So glad everything was safe with your family. Kay